The Avett Brothers - Raleigh 2010

Time Warner Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek, Raleigh, NC
October 8, 2010

REVIEW & PHOTOGRAPHY: Zach Stamey / TOLDigital.blogspot.com

Friday night the Avett Brothers made their triumphant return home to North Carolina. It has been over two years since the Concord-based folk/rock band has headlined in Raleigh and it was fine time they returned.

In the moments leading up to the Avetts taking stage, there was an electricity surging throughout the crowd as they waited eagerly. The instant the Avett Brothers took stage, the crowd unanimously erupted with screams of joy and passion as they welcomed them back home.

The screams came not only from the crowd but from stage as well as the Avetts belted out savage roars and cries that soared through the night air for miles in all directions. Their punk rock screams are a delightful treat to hear live as you will not likely find that on their latest album "I and Love and You".

For as passionate as Avett fans are, the band appears to be twice as passionate, if not more. It is almost as if a contest is taking place to see who can be more melodramatic; the Avetts or the fans. 

The Avett Brothers concert felt less like a show and more like a family reunion with really great live music. A place where you saw the familiar faces of the Avett Brothers and the family of Avett fans. Not to say that they didn't put on a show, because they absolutely obliterated the stage. From the thunderous stomping  to the energetic jumping and playful kicking of symbols, they ripped through each and every song with such emotion and aggression.

Late into the night, in the crisp October air, the Avett Brothers' music fell over the crowd like a warm blanket. Their melodic voices sang in perfect harmony with the crowd as they danced the night away and the crowd seemingly moved as one mass rather than individuals.

Encore after encore, they kept returning to play all of the fans' favorite songs until there were hardly any songs left for them to play. Luckily the fans were rewarded with a pleasant surprise when the Avetts performed a beautiful, slower tempo, cover of "Blue Ridge Mountain Blues", written originally by Cliff Hess in 1924. That is justifiable evidence proving that even though the Avett Brothers have hit the big time and continue to tour the US, they will always remain deeply rooted to their North Carolina home.